Inmates spruce up Christmas bikes for kids in need

Katie UrbaszewskiStaff Writer

Monday

Dec 3, 2012 at 5:55 PM

This Christmas will not be the best for Nakia Cantu, 37, who was jailed on a DUI conviction last summer, but he said he’s cheered by the idea that some children may have a better holiday after receiving bikes that he fixed for them.

This Christmas will not be the best for Nakia Cantu, 37, who was jailed on a DUI conviction last summer, but he said he’s cheered by the idea that some children may have a better holiday after receiving bikes that he fixed for them.“It passes the time,” Cantu said of the repairs and tune-ups he has done to about 45 bikes so far for the Lafourche Sheriff’s Office’s annual Christmas Bike Giveaway. “It gives you something to do that’s needed, and you’re going to make someone else’s Christmas a little better.”The Sheriff’s Office is seeking donations of new or used bikes, the latter “to be spruced up a bit” and given to children who might otherwise go without, spokesman Deputy Brennan Matherne said. The office has gotten about 200 donated bikes so far.Cantu, who was sentenced to a year in jail, works through the Sheriff’s Office’s trusty program, usually reserved for well-behaved inmates jailed for non-violent crimes. He came to the program in July, and he has been working on bikes since he arrived, he said.Cantu said he works a shift at the South Lafourche Leonard Miller Jr. Airport from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. six days a week, then works on the bikes during his down time.Cantu, a New Orleans native and former Raceland resident, is a self-proclaimed “avid biker” and has raced in triathlons in New Orleans and Raceland. When assessing how much work a bike needs, Cantu said he checks to see if parts are missing or if brakes are needed. He sands off the rust with steel wool. He paints the frames. He patches and inflates the tires.When a bike is finished, “it looks just about brand new,” he saidSince it is close to Christmas, deputies are now asking that the bikes people donate “be either new or in need of only minor repairs so that they can be ready in time for delivery,” Matherne said.Deputies will distribute the bikes as Christmas gifts later this month, Matherne said.Anyone can suggest a bike recipient by calling 632-5843 and providing the child’s name, gender, age, address and phone number. The bikes are delivered to families’ houses. The demand is already high this year, Matherne said, so the office has asked that each family be limited to one or two bicycles.Capt. Dean Savoie manages the giveaway program in Galliano.“We truly appreciate the generosity shown by our citizens through this program,” Savoie said. “We accept each donation knowing it will bring a huge smile to one child’s face a few weeks later.”Anyone interested in donating bikes can drop them off at any Sheriff’s Office site. A list is available online at www.lpso.net/contact.htm.Deputies and explorers, or student volunteers, delivered 232 bikes last year throughout Lafourche, Matherne said. More than 2,800 bicycles have been distributed since the program began in 1996.People are also welcome to donate money to help the Sheriff’s Office buy new bikes, Matherne said. Checks should be made out to the Lafourche Deputies Association and the words “bike giveaway” should be written in the memo line.The donation is tax deductible.

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